PollyPreppyPants and the SkirtChasingCad
by Coltan Heart
Summary: After getting over Derek, Kendra befriends Casey and realizes that Derek and Casey have feelings for each other. When she sets them up through IM, the sparks fly, but things are bound to go wrong since the two are stepsiblings. -- see profile for trailer
1. The Worst Night of Our Lives

**Chapter 1 – The Worst Night of Our Lives**

_"I felt every ounce of me screaming out_

_But the sound was trapped deep in me._

_All I wanted just sped right past me,_

_While I was rooted fast to the earth."_

- Snow Patrol, _Signal Fire_

**January 25, 2008**

_6: 57 P.M._

"Derek? Are you okay?" Kendra asked, wincing in sympathy for her friend and ex-boyfriend. She heard a gurgle that was shortly followed by the sound of retching and frowned.

_Poor thing. I think he's even more nervous than Casey. Oh, please, _please_ let this night go well._

"Do you need anything?"

After a moment, Derek replied, "Can you get me a stomach that _doesn't_ upturn itself every time I panic?"

"Mm, don't think so," Kendra answered, smiling slightly.

"Then no."

_Well, at least he's still got his sense of humor. He must not be feeling_ too _bad._

"It's almost time for the guests to arrive, Derry," she prodded gently. "Are you ready?"

"No, but I think I'm done puking," he quipped, opening the door and walking past her. She followed him to the stairs where he stopped and said, "And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'Derry'? I'm not a food group."

Laughing, Kendra strolled past him and argued, "You didn't mind it when I called you Derry when I was your girlfriend." Derek scoffed unapologetically.

"Oh yes I did. I just didn't say it then because I knew that it wouldn't matter. You'd get your way eventually and I wasn't partial to listening to you complain."

Knowing that he was partially kidding—a tiger can't change its stripes—Kendra rolled her eyes and gave him a small shove.

"Go see to your guests. This is _your_ party, after all."

_7:19 P.M._

"I think I'm going to be sick." Casey held onto her stomach as it twisted and churned, seemingly in time with the music downstairs.

The party below wasn't yet in full swing, but Derek was playing host and running things, which left his stepsister free to finish getting ready. Or, rather, it left time for Casey to fret about all of the ways that the night ahead could go wrong while Emily and Kendra put the finishing touches on her outfit.

"Casey, you have to take a few risks to meet the right guy. Trust me, everything will be fine," Emily assured her as she finished curling Casey's hair.

"Hun, she's right. Besides, I was just talking to Michael this afternoon and he is totally just as excited and nervous as you are. He can't wait to meet you in person," Kendra added.

Smiling, Casey calmed down and reminded herself that she was just going to see Michael. They had talked almost every day for over two months.

_There's no reason to be nervous. Our connection runs deeper than physical appearances…right?_

_I mean, I know that he's dated a lot of girls, but what if _I_ don't think he's good looking?_

"Kendra, what I'm about to ask is _really_ shallow, but-"

"He's gorgeous," Kendra answered with a knowing smile, deciding on a necklace to match Casey's outfit. "What do you think of this one?"

Casey was about to reply when Emily answered, "Perfect." Realizing that the question hadn't been directed at her, Casey blushed and she put on the jewelry as her friends stood back to appraise her.

"Well?" Casey asked nervously. Kendra and Emily grinned as they admired their work.

"You're going to blow him away," Emily replied.

"He doesn't stand a chance."

Squealing, Casey grabbed her friends into a group hug and they giggled with excitement.

"Are you ready?" Emily asked.

Casey shook her head and said, "No, I need a few minutes more to think about what I'm going to say when I finally see him."

"Oh, come on, Casey. You've been thinking about it all week!" Even though it sounded somewhat chastising, Kendra was smiling good-naturedly. After all, they were quite good friends now and she knew how Casey tended to over think everything.

"Yeah, you've got to relax, Case." Emily squeezed her friend in a one-armed hug. The look on Casey's face said it all. She wasn't moving. Sighing, Emily asked, "Do you want us to wait with you?"

Shaking her head, Casey answered, "No. I want to do this on my own."

"All right, Hun. We'll be a call or a text away if you need anything," Kendra replied, wiggling her phone at her.

"Thanks."

Casey watched her friends leave and sat on her bed. Falling backward, her face split into a wide grin.

_This is going to be the best night of my life._

_7:23 P.M._

"Hey, Big D."

"Sup?" Derek replied, giving him the guy nod and a high five as he passed by.

_I wonder who that was? Does he even _go _to our school?_

Shrugging, Derek decided that he didn't care. He had more important things on his mind, like meeting Polly. Kendra had assured him that she was absolutely gorgeous, but he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't the slightest bit worried that he wouldn't be physically attracted to her.

_God, that would suck. It would be just my luck that I'd be physically attracted to my stepsister, who's off limits for obvious reasons, but not Polly. _

Even though he really liked his online sweetheart, Derek couldn't deny that his feelings for Casey certainly weren't brotherly.

_But if I had to choose one, I'd pick Polly in a heartbeat, and not just because choosing Casey would be social suicide. I don't feel like I have to hide anything from her. _

_Well, you know, except for my feelings for my stepsister._

"Uh, Derek, you _might_ want to hide now," Sam whispered, breaking Derek out of his thoughts.

"Why?"

"Because Amanda's looking this way and she _doesn't_ look happy."

Ducking his head, Derek looked around wide-eyed.

"No, no, no, not tonight!" Derek cried in a hushed voice. "Every time she sees me even _look_ at another girl, she decides to introduce them to every _other_ girl I've gone out with." Huffing, he muttered, "We only went out for two weeks two _years_ ago. She's like an assassin, except that she convinces everyone _else_ to shoot me down!"

"Well, you _did_ break up with her just so that you could make out with her cousin," Sam argued.

"Et tu, Brute?"

Chuckling, Sam replied, "Look, Derek, you know I got your back, but there's no denying that you were an ass to Amanda."

"I know that," he snapped. "But she's exacted her revenge already. It's time to move on."

"Can't argue with that, dude." Same chuckled.

Tightening her grip on her plastic cup, Amanda ended her conversation and started walking towards them.

"Shit. She's coming." Derek turned around and closed his eyes.

_Okay, Derek, think. You've _got_ to keep her away from Polly. And yourself, for that matter. _

"Well, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know! Give me a sec."

_Come on. You could charm the virgin queen right out of her skirts if you wanted to. Surely you can handle _one _pissed off ex-girlfriend._

"Hey, Derek," a silky voice greeted him.

Fighting the urge to cringe, Derek opened his eyes and turned around to face his demons.

_Or demon, in this case._

"Hey, Amanda, what's up?" He said smoothly.

"Oh, not much, how about you—break any hearts lately?" She asked, batting her eyes sweetly.

Clearing his throat, Sam broke in and offered his hand to Amanda.

"Nice to see you, Amanda."

The redhead's demeanor changed as quickly as the flash of a picture being taken.

"Sam, I didn't see you there." Her eyes scanned him from head to toe. "You look good as always," she purred.

"Thank you. So do you." Sam gave her a charming smile. "Would you like to dance?"

"I'd love to." The blonde took her hand and led her out to the dance floor. Derek was as good as forgotten.

'Thank you', Derek mouthed to Sam over Amanda's shoulder. He nodded in response and turned his attention back to the girl in front of him.

_Man, I owe him big time._

Still, Derek decided that it was best for him to retreat to the other side of the room, which took him to the staircase. He hopped up on the landing and leaned against the rail, looking around for Polly.

_Okay, let's see. She said that she'd be dressed in pink from head to toe._

His eyes scanned the party guests, landing on several girls who were wearing pink, but all of them were wearing other colors as well.

Then he heard one of the steps creak, third from the top to be specific—that was the creaky step—and he looked up.

_No._

Casey, who was a vision in pink, floated down the stairs and all of the air was sucked out of his lungs as he realized exactly who Polly was.

_"She's sensitive about family, so don't bring it up," Kendra warned him._

_"But what do I say if _she_ does?"_

_"Trust me, she won't."_

"You okay, Derek?" Casey asked. Concern was written all over her face.

He nodded awkwardly, making him look like one of those funny bobble head dolls. Only, nothing was funny about finding out that the girl you've fallen in love with is actually your stepsister.

Seemingly satisfied, Casey brushed past his shoulder, and Derek jumped from the contact.

_No, no, no, no, _no! _This can't be happening. She can't be…_

_Surely Kendra wouldn't…_

His eyes scanned the crowd again until they landed on the blonde in question. She grinned widely at him, nodding her head towards Casey, who was weaving her way through the guests.

'Surprise,' Kendra mouthed, looking very proud of her self. But as she continued to look at Derek, who was frozen in shock and still had his jaw hanging open, her face fell.

Shaking, Derek tore himself from the spot and stumbled up the stairs as acid crept up his throat. He was all too familiar with the feeling and locked himself in the bathroom just as his stomach heaved.

_This has _got _to be the worst night of my life._

_7:40 P.M._

"He's not exactly known for being prompt," Kendra assured Casey, patting her shoulder as she stared anxiously at the front door. "And he's only ten minutes late. It's no big."

Nodding as she tried to agree with her, Casey pushed down her fear and disappointment.

_C'mon, Case. Sure, it would have been great if he had been on time, or even early, but not everybody is punctual. He doesn't have to be perfect._

Kendra watched her friend wring her hands and said, "You need a drink."

"Nothing alcoholic!" Casey insisted as she watched her blonde friend stand up and sashay across the room, gaining appreciative glances from the opposite sex as she passed by.

It was only Kendra's jealous boyfriend—who happened to be a hefty linebacker on the football team—that kept other guys from hitting on her.

Looking over at said boyfriend, Kendra's nose crinkled with distaste.

Surrounded by buddies from the football team, Mac was throwing back a beer as the crowd around him yelled, "Chug! Chug! Chug!"

_Oh yeah. He's _so_ gone after tonight._

Kendra sighed and approached the drinks, looking for something non-alcoholic. A diet soda caught her eye and she picked it up, walking into the kitchen to get some ice.

As she filled up the red plastic cup, Kendra looked at the stairs. She could still see the horrified expression on Derek's face as he realized the truth.

_He could probably use a friend right now._

Looking for Sam, she found him dancing with Amanda, Derek's worst ex-girlfriend. She glared at the redhead, who caught her gaze and glared right back.

In the beginning, Kendra _had_ felt sorry for her, but Derek's extreme insensitivity paled in comparison to Amanda dedicating herself to ruining his love life.

_No matter how many times he apologizes, she'll never let up. I hate girls like her._

She was about to approach Sam to ask him to go check on Derek, but then she hesitated.

_If Derek feels the way he looked before he ran upstairs, then he probably doesn't want anyone else to find out what's going on. Even though I'm probably the last,_ she glanced at Casey, _or next to last person that he wants to see right now, he needs _someone_ to talk to._

Grabbing the drink and heading towards the staircase, Kendra turned back to glance at her idiot boyfriend and his friends.

"Hey, baby!" He slurred drunkenly, swaying and attempting to steady himself against the wall. "Want to dance?" Kyle thrusted his hips at her in what he deemed to be an attractive manner.

Kendra wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Sorry,_ baby_, but a friend needs my help."

_Plus, you're a totally repulsive drunk. God, what did I ever see in him?_

"A guy friend?" he asked in a tone that said, 'It had _better_ be a girl.'

"Just a friend," she answered, waving her hand dismissively.

Kendra cried out as someone stumbled into her from behind, causing her to tip forward and spill her drink all over the floor. Sighing, she turned around to chew out the klutz who'd bumped into her and ended up face to face with a very sheepish looking Emily.

"Sorry, Kendra."

"It's okay, Em." A thought struck her. "Hey! _You_ can go talk to Derek!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice. Emily's eyes widened fearfully and Kendra sighed. "I guess you saw the whole thing, huh?"

"Oh yeah. And I believe that the proper phrase for this kind of situation is that the crap has hit the fan!" Kendra dropped her head into her hands.

"I know! God, I don't think it could've gone worse!" Kendra moaned, shoulders slumping in defeat. Then her head popped back up and she said, "You know, Hun, if there was ever a moment for you to actually swear, this would be it."

Shrugging, Emily shot her friend a sympathetic look. If things kept heading downhill like they were, then they were _all_ going down, but Kendra was going to be the one that everyone blamed and, therefore, she was going to be the one that everyone was pissed off at.

"Well, if you won't go, then I guess that _I'll_ have to talk to Derek," Kendra decided, straightening herself up.

"You're better at persuading people. Maybe you can convince him to do the right thing," Emily encouraged her.

_I sure can't. I'm not even sure myself what _is _right anymore,_ Emily thought sadly.

"Maybe." Kendra headed up the stairs. "Go check on Casey." Nodding, she disappeared into the crowd to do just that.

A few minutes later, Kendra Mason found herself standing in front of Derek's room, too afraid to even knock on the door.

_Come on, Kendra. You made your bed, and now it's time to lie in it._

_7:58 P.M._

Derek paced back and forth across his room. He couldn't believe it. _Casey_, his_ stepsister_, was Polly, the girl he'd fallen in love with over the past couple of months.

_And to think that I was worried that I wouldn't be attracted to her. Ha! Little did I know that the real problem is that I think she's fucking gorgeous!_

_How could Kendra do this to me, to her, to _us?

_Not that there _is_ an us, because there really can't be, but she's supposed to be our friend! I trusted her. Casey trusted her. _We _trusted her!_

_I've really got to stop thinking of Polly, Casey, _her_ and I together. Even grammatically, we should be kept far, far away from each other._

_Gah! There I go again! I'm hopeless._  
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and Derek jumped as if he'd been struck by lightning.

Clearing his throat to prevent his voice from coming out high and squeaky, Derek said, "This room's occupied, and off limits. In fact, _all_ of the rooms are off limits. Don't you have a car?"

"It's me, Derek. We need to talk," Kendra answered from the other side of the door. Barking out a laugh, Derek shook his head.

"Being an ex-friend of mine, shouldn't you know me well enough to realize that you're just about the _last_ person that I want to talk to right now?"

"Derek, I'm still your friend. Please let me in so that we can talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about! You _betrayed_ me. _And_ you betrayed Casey. You're never stepping foot in _this_ room again!" Derek shouted angrily, stomping over to stand in front of the wooden barrier and glare in Kendra's general direction.

"All right, Derek, if you won't talk to me then I guess that I'll just have to drag _Casey_ up here to talk to you."

Kendra's threat worked like a charm. A fresh wave of panic rushed over Derek and he hastily opened the door and pulled her in. He slammed the door behind her harshly and sulkily dropped down onto his bed.

"Fine. Talk."

Sighing, Kendra gently sat down on his computer chair and crossed one leg over the other.

"You probably hate me right now," he snorted derisively, "but ignoring Casey will only make this whole situation worse."

"Well, what do _you_ suggest then, Kendra?" Derek sneered, tipping back in his chair. "After all, this whole _mess_ is your fault. How do _you_ propose cleaning it up?"

"It doesn't have to be a mess!" Kendra argued. "You love her, Derek. I know you do."

"Because you're such an authority on the subject, right?"

"I didn't mean that, I just—"

"And that's why you set us up, right? Because you fancy yourself to be some kind of Yenta and you thought we'd be a good match, so who gives a damn about what anyone _else_ thinks."

"You and Casey are a _perfect_ match. She loves you! Don't you see?"

"She's. My. Stepsister," Derek said in a low voice.

"Derek, you _love_ her. Nothing else matters!"

"Even if that were true, it wouldn't change the cold, hard facts," Derek snapped in frustration. "Our family would be repulsed. Everyone at school would label us incestuous freaks! And every other person that knew the truth about how we met would call us sick."

Snorting condescendingly, he stood up and stomped across the room to his door. "If that's what you call a perfect match, Kendra, then I think_ you_ should have your head examined."

Then, slamming the door behind him, Derek stormed off, heading for the kitchen to get a drink.

_I can't believe that she thinks that there's a happy ending here for Casey and I. All she's done is to make everything worse._

As he stepped onto the landing, he saw Casey across the room. There she was, sitting in the living room, looking anxious and disappointed.

"_Wait a minute. Is this some kind of setup, Kendra? 'Cause I don't do blind dates."_

"_You are giving me _way_ too much credit, Der. She's just a friend that I asked to talk to you while I got something to snack on," she answered with an eye roll. Then she smiled conspicuously, "Why? Do you _like_ her?"_

"_Eh. She interests me. That's all."_

Derek watched Casey look around the room and his stomach clenched with guilt.

_God, I feel like a coward. And a villain._

Casey glanced at her watch and then again at the door.

_Damn it, Kendra! This is all her fault! _She's_ the reason that Casey looks like she's some little kid who lost her mom in the supermarket._

_I guess she really does—_did—_love me._

Derek shook his head, turned around, and walked away. His heart was already breaking and looking at _her_ was rubbing salt into the wound.

_8:27 P.M._

Casey stared into her plastic cup dismally. It was nearly half past eight. He was late by a whole hour. She swirled the soda around gently, just noticing that all of the bubbles were gone. Her drink had gone flat.

_Probably because you've barely touched it for almost an hour._

_We were going to meet face to face for the first time. He knew how important this was. Why isn't he here yet?_

_Maybe he isn't coming. Maybe he chickened out._

_Or maybe he changed his mind._

"He'll be here," Kendra insisted, looking a little less sure than she had earlier. Casey didn't blame her. _She_ was starting to think that he wasn't coming either.

After a beat, Emily suggested, "Maybe he's having car trouble."

"Yeah. Car trouble," Casey repeated, trying to hold on to that thought.

_Car trouble. Of course. That's the natural conclusion…right? Or maybe there's a family crisis?_

_Speaking of family crises, where's Derek? I haven't seen him at all since the party started._

Casey looked up and swept her eyes across all of the faces, searching for a familiar smirk. Instead, she saw his back as he slunk into the kitchen.

_Oh, there he is. And just to think that a few months ago, I would've been staring at Derek all night, unhealthily obsessing over the stepbrother that I could never have. _

_But I don't want Derek anymore. Well, okay, maybe I do, but just a little bit. I mean, I still care about him, but it's Michael that I want to be with._

_Now the only question is whether or not _he_ wants to be with _me

_8:46 P.M._

"Derek! It's Emily. I need to talk to you."

_Don't worry. Just talk to him. You've known each other since you were kids. Through Casey you've actually become friends. There's no reason to be scared of a friend._

But as Derek opened the door, anger and hostility came off of him in waves and Emily almost lost her nerve.

_You're doing it for Casey. She's your best friend. And after scheming with Kendra to try to get her and Derek together, knowing full well that it could blow up in everyone's faces, you owe her this._

"May I come in?" She asked politely. Derek moved aside slightly, letting her pass by him before he shut the door.

"So you're in on it too. Am I right?"

"Yes. It was Kendra's idea, but I helped," Emily admitted, rocking back on her heels.

"And you're here to try to convince me to talk to Casey and ask her to be my girlfriend so that we can live happily ever after, right?"

"Well, sort of—"

"Then let me make this short: it's not going to happen."

"But—"

"Casey is going to be heartbroken either way, thanks to you and Hurricane Kendra."

"Oh, come on, Derek. That isn't fair," Emily protested.

"No, it isn't. But thanks to the two of you, that's reality," Derek snapped, ushering Emily out the door before she could say anything else.

"Derek!" She knocked on his door again. This time, however, she heard him lock his door and she sighed in defeat.

_What have we done?_

_9:45 P.M._

Kendra looked sorrowfully at the girl who had quickly become one of her best friends. It was pretty obvious that there would be no happy ending tonight.

Staring at the wall by the front door, Casey knew that she was avoiding the inevitable. Her heart crumpled as she finally admitted defeat and accepted the only logical conclusions left.

_Either he didn't come at all, or he came and decided that he didn't like what he saw._

Both answers pointed to the same result: he wasn't coming and she was tired of waiting.

Sighing inaudibly, Casey stood up and brushed past Kendra, trying not to blame her friend for her aching heart.

"Casey, he'll be here! Please don't go," she pleaded, following Casey to the stairs. Holding back bitter tears, she stopped on the landing.

"I'm sorry, Kendra, but he's obviously not coming. Or maybe he did and he changed his mind." She sighed. "It's over."

Casey turned and fled to the comfort of her room, locking the door behind her. She ignored Kendra's calls to come back and sunk onto her bed, letting the tears flow freely.

Then a thought occurred to her and she jumped up. Full of hope, Casey raced over to her computer and signed online, praying that she would find him there. But as she scanned her friends' list, she found his screen name under "Offline".

Despondent, she staggered back towards her bed and sat down.

_What did I do wrong? Why did he stand me up?_

_If he got scared and didn't come, then surely he would've sent me a message or an e-mail or something. So he must have come. But why didn't he show himself? _

Casey stood up and crossed the room to where a full-length mirror stood.

_Pretty face, pretty curls, a nice figure…what was disappointing?_

Then a thought occurred to her.

_Maybe Michael and I know each other in the real world. Or maybe he just knew me. Maybe he thought I was a nerdy, super-keener. Or maybe he thought I was a loser like the rest of the student body._

Casey sighed. Trying to figure out why she'd been stood up was depressing and a waste of time. Even if she _could_ change whatever it was that made him ditch her, she shouldn't.

_He has to love me for who I am, or not at all._

Straightening her shoulders, she walked over to her desk and pulled out some homework.

_If you keep saying it, or thinking it, then maybe you'll eventually feel that way._

**January 26, 2008**

_3:56 A.M._

Staring up into the darkness, Casey wondered what Michael was doing at that very moment. Was he sleeping peacefully, untroubled by an aching heart and churning mind?

_Maybe none of it was real for him. Maybe I was just an ego boost. _

She laughed bitterly.

_SkirtChasingCad. The name said it all. Of course he broke my heart. Of course he doesn't really care about me._

_But that can't be true. I know him. We talked about everything._

_Well, _almost_ everything. So we never talked about our families, but after Kendra warned me about it, I was too scared to say anything. And when he never mentioned parents or siblings either, I didn't dare to mention mine._

A loud thump on the wall broke her out of her thoughts. It came from Derek's room.

_What's he still doing up?_

Curious, concerned, and eager to think about something _other_ than her recent heartbreak, Casey stood up and crept into the hallway, pausing in front of Derek's door. She had no idea what kind of reception she'd get from him.

It seemed as if Derek had been in a better mood in the past few months, acting much nicer towards her than he usually did. But even so, she was really pushing the envelope by approaching his door in the middle of the night. Still, she knocked.

He didn't answer.

_Do I dare to enter _Derek's_ room without permission? In the middle of the night? What if he's asleep and I wake him up?_

Biting her lip, Casey shifted her weight from foot to foot.

_I've come this far already…_

Slowly, she turned the knob and opened the door, peeking meekly in the crack.

"Derek?"

The room was dark and for the first time in a long time, there was no music coming from his room. Neither were there headphones on his head.

"Go away, Case," he said in a soft, but firm voice. He was sitting on his bed, staring determinedly at his window, refusing to look at her.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No."

A thick silence filled the air, grasping her throat and slowly squeezing that air out of her, like a python taking its prey. She swallowed, attempting to relax her esophagus. It didn't work.

"Derek-"

"Just get out!" He snapped, balling his hands into fists.

Frightened, Casey fled the room and flew into the safety of her own.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, coming faster and faster as her chest heaved with sobs and she curled her knees up to body.

_This is the worst night of my life._

_5:24 A.M._

_This is the worst night of my life._

Derek rolled over on his bed. How could Kendra do that to him? Sure, Derek had played it off well when she had come to talk to him earlier, but he felt like acid was eating away at his insides.

_Thank God that it was so dark when Casey came in here. I would've died of shame if she'd seen me cry. I mean, of all of the people in the world who could've walked in at that moment, it had to be her._

He couldn't believe he yelled at her. _She_ should've been the one yelling at _him_. Derek was the villain of the picture and Casey was the tragic heroine.

_And I made her cry._

Not long after she'd leaped out of his room and dove into her own, he'd heard loud, pitiful sobs coming from the other side of the wall.

_Because being stabbed in the back isn't good enough. No, somebody or something has always got to twist the knife._

_I'd challenge the universe to do its worst, but there's no need to make more of an idiot of myself than I already have._

_Besides, what could be worse than this? _

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Life With Derek", any of its characters, any name brand stuff, movies that I mention, books that I mention, bands that I mention, or any of the songs that I quote. This applies to every chapter in this story. Basically, I own the plot and the writing. A b-d, b-d, b-d, that's all, folks!

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**A/N:** So, most of this was written in three days, but there was quite a bit of tweaking. I tried to make the formatting better, but I think FFN is messed up right now. If you've never heard of "PollyPreppyPants and the SkirtChasingCad" before, please click on the link in my profile to watch the trailer that started it all. As far as updating goes, I make no promises on timeliness, but I'll do my best. I hope everyone liked the first chapter, but I'll never know unless you review. Please tell me what you did or didn't like so that I can improve the story (and my writing). Oh! And as far as review responses go, I won't reply unless I have something to say other than "Thank you for reading and reviewing my story!" I'll just post that part in the author's note. 

May Dasey live on in fan fiction!

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	2. The Aftermath

**Chapter 02 – The Aftermath**

"_Oh no, what's this?_

_A spider web, and I'm caught in the middle,_

_So I turned to run,_

_The thought of all the stupid things I've done._

_I never meant to cause you trouble,_

_And I never meant to do you wrong,_

_And I, well if I ever caused you trouble,_

_Oh no, I never meant to do you harm."_

- Coldplay, _Trouble_

**January 26, 2008**

_11:03 A.M._

"Just how long do you think Casey is going to sleep?" Edwin asked Lizzie as their show went to a commercial about dish soap.

Looking up, Lizzie sighed and answered, "I don't know. The only time I ever remember Casey sleeping this late was…um…" she trailed off and tucked her hair behind her ear. "It was when Dad moved out."

Wrapping an arm around his stepsister and best friend, Edwin gave Lizzie a sympathetic smile. Even though the two kids had been lucky enough to have parents who divorced fairly amicably, they weren't completely spared the pain and loss of divorce. Unfortunately, they also each had a parent who lived outside the country and had an extremely time-consuming job.

"So this is pretty bad, huh?" Edwin asked, looking at the stairs. Following his gaze, Lizzie nodded, frowning with concern.

_I guess the party went badly last night. I wonder what happened. If Michael broke her heart, I'll break his face._ Sneaking a glance at Edwin, she thought, _I wish I could talk to him about this, but Casey would kill me. It's supposed to be a secret. I hope Edwin doesn't know that I'm keeping something from him._

Lizzie glanced nervously at Edwin and then jerked around to stare at the television. Beside her, Edwin shifted anxiously, tugging at his collar.

_I wonder how the party went last night with Derek and his mystery date. I wish I could tell Lizzie about it, but Derek would fry me._ He glanced at his stepsister. _I wonder if she suspects anything._

_12:06 P.M._

Derek sluggishly stumbled down the stairs and immediately headed for the kitchen pantry, not noticing anyone as he passed. That even included Nora, who was standing in the kitchen, reading the newspaper.

_Food. Need food._

He shuffled through the pantry, still trying to decide whether he wanted cereal or a sandwich.

"Good morning, Derek," Nora said, lifting her coffee to her lips to take a sip.

Derek grunted in response and his stepmother laughed.

_Oh yeah. Someone is in Zombie Mode this morning._

Although it didn't usually happen on Saturday mornings, Nora had seen Derek imitate the living dead often enough that it didn't bother her—particularly since he'd had his big party the night before.

_He begged, bargained, and wheedled for a whole week to get that party._ She cocked her head, thinking, _I still think it had to do with impressing or getting to know a girl, not that he'd ever admit it to _me.

Nora and George had come home to a somewhat messy house that morning, but the kids had cleaned up most of it and it had given the two parents a good excuse for a night out. George had commented that they ought to let Derek throw parties more often, giving her the famous Venturi wink that Nora always wondered if Marti would inherit. Derek certainly had.

_Not that you'd guess it by looking at him now._

She chuckled and Derek looked up, cocking an eyebrow as if he suspected that she was laughing at _him_. But, stuck in an early morning fog, he shrugged it off and took out the bread, deciding to make himself a sandwich.

"So, Derek, how was the party last night?" Nora asked, peering at him over her newspaper.

A large package of sliced ham slapped against the floor and Derek froze for a second before snapping back to life. He hastily picked up the sandwich meat and put it on the counter, fighting to keep his hands and voice from shaking.

"Fine. Good. G-great," he stuttered as he got out the other ingredients, ducking his head to avoid her gaze. He just knew that if she got a good look at him, she'd know right away what had happened.

_Stupid special mom powers. She's not even _my_ mom for heaven's sake!_

_Well, maybe if you weren't shaking and dropping things like you whacked somebody and buried the body in the backyard last night, she wouldn't suspect anything! What if she finds out? Oh God, they'd have me committed. Or maybe put in jail. Do they actually put people in jail for incest? What exactly is incest? I should look that up and make sure I'm covered._

_Not that I plan on actually _doing_ anything. I should be fine. The government can't put you in jail just for thinking stuff, right? _

_Note to self: ask Dad to borrow his old textbooks. Ooh, wait. Then he'll ask _why_. And since he knows better than to think that I want to be in school for the next two thousand years, he'll know I did something. Maybe I could get Edwin to get them? No, he'll ask too many questions, and when I tell him to stay out of it, he'll team up with Lizzie to investigate. Second note to self: steal Dad's old law books when no one is looking._

Derek suddenly noticed that Nora was giving him the universal "deeply concerned mother" look and sucked in his breath.

_Crap. Say something! You're being too quiet._

"So, uh, did you and Dad have fun last night?"'

Nora spewed her coffee all over the paper. Well, actually, some of it landed on Derek's face, but he hardly noticed.

_Oh shit! Now she _knows _that something is wrong. I can't believe that I asked her that._

"Uh, I meant, you know, _before_ you guys went to the hotel," he stuttered as he slapped the rest of his sandwich together.

_Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh _crap!

"Derek, are you feeling all right?" Nora asked—her expression half-worried and half-unsettled.

"Actually, no, not really. I think I, uh, ate something weird last night and, um…yeah." Derek blindly grabbed a soda from the fridge and picked up his sandwich off of the counter. All but running from the room, Derek headed for his chair and flopped down, avoiding looking at Edwin and Lizzie.

It was then that Derek noticed that he had grabbed a Coke Zero.

_Oh great. I grabbed one of Casey's chick sodas._

_But there's no way in hell that I'm going back into that kitchen while Nora's still in there._

_It_ would_ be Casey's soda that I grabbed. It isn't bad enough that it tastes like crap, but now I look even _more_ suspicious._

_Someone's going to find out. Edwin will ask questions. Nora will talk to Dad about me acting all weird. The whole house will be watching me like a hawk, except for Casey, who will be so obviously upset, that they'll know that I did something to her. I'll be _lucky _if I get shipped off to military school._

Glancing at Lizzie, he nearly choked on his sandwich. He wouldn't admit it in a million years, but Derek was pretty certain that his younger stepsister could soundly kick his ass if she chose to. She could certainly take Edwin. She had proved that time and time again.

If Edwin knew the whole truth, he'd probably disown him. No longer would he try to sneak into Derek's room and take his stuff so that he could be more like him, and while the idea wasn't entirely unappealing, he rather liked having his own Mini Wannabe Me. Plus, he needed Edwin to do stuff for him, scheme with him. Shifting uncomfortably, he admitted to himself that he also needed him to talk to.

He heard an excited whoop from upstairs and frowned. What would _Marti_ think of him? He honestly doubted that she would care if she knew that he liked Casey. There was a possibility that she already knew. (Somehow Marti just _knew _things, like that Scott was a scumbag.) She might even _like_ the idea. But she was bound to be mad at him if she found out that he hurt Casey. His Smarti loved him very much, and almost always took his side, but she loved Casey too. Marti would be all kinds of mad if she found out how much Derek had hurt her beloved stepsister.

Derek's mind went to Nora's reaction next. There would be anger, confusion, disappointment, and probably disgust. He had no idea what she'd do to him, but he didn't care to think about it beyond that.

As for his dad, Derek figured that George would go one of two ways, possibly switching back and forth between the two. Either he'd be extremely shocked and disappointed, or he'd be _really_ angry. Honestly, Derek had no idea which would be worse.

_I'd probably be better off telling them that I whacked somebody._

_12:17 P.M._

As Casey turned around the corner, she found herself in front of a red door. A strong urge came over her to open it and see what was inside. She grasped the knob and then hesitated. Casey had a nagging feeling that it was a bad idea to open the door, but she pushed that aside and turned the door knob. It was unlocked.

Carefully pushing it open, Casey peeked through the widening crack in the door with anticipation

_Why do I get the feeling that something important is about to happen?_

The room was dark, but she could make out shapes inside. She decided that it was a teenager's bedroom, looking at the band posters tacked onto the wall. There was also a large one of a famous hockey player whose name Casey couldn't quite remember. But what really caught her attention was the desk that was pushed against the back wall and had a computer sitting on top of it.

A bright light emanated from the computer screen, which looked like it was open to an IM. Curious, she walked towards it, trying to read the words on the screen. Closer she crept, until she could clearly see the screen names in the instant messaging window.

"SkirtChasingCad? But that's Michael's screen name." She furrowed her brow in confusion. Suddenly, an IM popped up.

**PollyPreppyPants:** Michael? Are you there?

Casey jumped back. That was _her_ screen name! How could she be messaging Michael when the only computer she was standing near was _his_?

Laughing at her stupidity, Casey rolled her eyes as she realized that someone_else_ was signed onto her screen name and messaging him.

_It's probably Edwin or Derek. Either way, I'll kill him. _

**PollyPreppyPants:** Where were you last night? You were supposed to meet me at the party, remember?

Casey's eyes widened and she stepped back. Neither Edwin nor Derek knew about the meeting _or_ Michael's name. Suspicious, she wondered who was posing as her.

_Maybe it's Kendra. Or Emily. Both of them knew all that._

**PollyPreppyPants:** Are you there? If this is a joke, then you've picked a really bad time to play games. I seriously need to talk to you. You really hurt me when you didn't show up last night. And to make matters worse, I tried to talk to Derek in the middle of the night and he yelled at me.

Casey jumped backwards. No one but _her_ knew about everything that Fake Casey was talking about.

_Oh my gosh. This is really freaky! It's like something out of a stupid horror movie. But it isn't a horror movie. This is real life and you have nothing to be scared of. It's probably just some really elaborate prank._

**SkirtChasingCad:** Who are you? Why are you pretending to be me?

Biting her lip, Casey sat down as she anxiously waited for a reply. A noise from the hallway caught her attention and she turned around, staring at the door.

_Oh my God. Someone else is here. Where is here anyway? Did I sleepwalk or something?_

The ding nearly made her wet her pants when she whipped her head back to read the screen.

**PollyPreppyPants:** What are you talking about? It's me, Casey. What's going on, Michael? Stop messing around. It isn't funny.

The second ding made her scream and jump back so violently that she fell out of the chair. Clattering to the floor, she whimpered as her body complained. Then she looked up to see what else Fake Casey had said.

**PollyPreppyPants:** You _are_ Michael, right?

Whimpering in fear, Casey stayed on the floor, ducking so that only her eyes were above the desk. She'd never felt more afraid in her life.

"What are you doing here?" a voice asked from behind her, making her screech again. Then Casey crawled under the desk so fast that she hit her head on the top, elbow on the side, and her knee on one of the chair legs. She cowered behind the chair, but peeked out enough so that she could see a figure in the darkness. None of his features were distinguishable, but he looked slightly taller and more muscular than Derek.

"Polly, why are you hiding under my chair?" he asked, sounding confused and a little freaked out. "And what are you doing in my room?"

"Michael?" she asked tentatively, peeking out further.

"Yeah. So…what are you doing here?"

"I…um…"

He sighed and said, "Look, Polly, you're a nice girl and all but I just don't think of you that way anymore. You're too…" Michael ran a hand through his hair. "It doesn't matter. I just need you to leave."

Casey pushed the chair aside and scrambled to her feet as she blushed in shame and tried to ignore the bitter sting of rejection.

"But, Michael, I…I think I love you," she confessed, smiling at him fondly.

The door behind him popped open with a 'bang' and Derek strode inside, hands in his pockets, smirking as always. He stopped beside Michael and folded his arms.

"Come on, Casey. You heard him. It's time to go," Derek chastised.

"But…"

"Look, Space Case, nobody wants you," he replied in an annoyed tone. "I didn't, and never will of course, and neither does he. Is it really that surprising? I mean, just look at you."

Casey looked down and gasped. She was wearing her old, holey sweatpants and an old dance sweatshirt that had paint stains on it. Feeling her head, she discovered that her hair was a sweaty, tangled mess and she suddenly realized that there was a distinct odor, and it was coming from _her._

"I mean, you could've at least _showered_ before you decided to stalk the poor guy," Derek quipped. Michael laughed with him and then they stopped, looked her up and down, and burst into laughter again.

"Oh, Casey, Casey, Casey. You're too much." Looking excited, Derek snapped to get Michael's attention. "And that's not even the best part! Guess what?"

"What?" Michael asked, looking eager.

"She has a _huge_, enormous crush on me!" Derek laughed. "How _pathetic_ is that?"

This time, Michael didn't laugh. He replied with disgust, "That's sick."

"I know!" Derek shrieked as if he found it hilarious. Bent over, he attempted to calm himself, but he kept snickering and heaving with silent giggles.

"I never want to talk to you again, Polly." Michael turned around, walking towards the door. "I can't even stand to look at you."

Panicking, Casey ran after him.

"Michael? Wait! It's not what you think! I just—" Tears trickled down her cheeks as he slammed the door in her face. Whirling around to face her stepbrother, Casey was surprised to see that he was gone. "Derek? Where did you go?"

"As far away from you as I can get!" his voice whispered like an echo bouncing back at her in a cave. "You see," his voice got quieter and quieter, as if he was walking away, "in the end, no one really wants you." Casey looked around, trying to find the source.

"Come on, Derek. This isn't funny!" she insisted as she threw open the closet door in desperation.

"Not your father, not Michael." Hot breath blew on the back of her neck as he whispered into her ear, "And certainly not me."

She turned around to face him, but, with a rush of wind, he was gone again and she was all alone.

_12:23 P.M._

Lizzie knocked on her older sister's door. When she didn't hear anything, she slowly opened the door and poked her head in.

"Casey?"

Then Lizzie saw tousled brown hair peeking out from underneath her sister's comforter. She sighed. Lizzie had expected to see that her sister was still in bed, but she had hoped that maybe she was just working on something and had been too busy to come downstairs.

_This is bad._

Creeping over to the side of her sister's bed, she looked over the covers and frowned. Tears spilled down Casey's cheeks as she fidgeted, looking quite distraught.

_This is _really_ bad._

Gently, she shook her sister's shoulder and called out her name.

"Casey? Casey? Wake up. You're having a bad dream," she whispered in a soothing voice. Casey's eyes snapped open, startling Lizzie. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking worried.

Her sister, who looked a bit confused, reached up and touched her cheeks, suddenly realizing that she had been crying. Hastily wiping her face with her sleeve, Casey looked over at her alarm clock. Groaning, she sat up and pushed her hair out of her face.

"Not really, Liz, but I don't want to talk about it right now," she finally answered as she stood up and crossed the room to her dresser. "I just want to take a shower, okay?"

"Sure," Lizzie replied as she watched Casey grab some clothes and head for the bathroom.

_Oh, Casey. You really love him, don't you?_

_12:54 P.M._

After showering and dressing, Casey felt much more like herself. When her stomach grumbled, she noted that she hadn't eaten in half a day or longer and headed for the kitchen to make herself lunch.

As she rummaged around in the fridge, Derek walked into the kitchen. She looked up and their eyes met, locking onto each other.

_Oh God. I can't look at her after what I've done._

_What did I do to make him so mad at me?_

Derek hastily looked away in shame and stumbled out of the kitchen, retreating upstairs to his bedroom. Edwin, who'd watched the whole scene with curiosity, stood up and followed his older brother.

_Time for a little interrogation._

Edwin knocked three times on his brother's door and waited. He knew better than to enter uninvited. It was entirely likely that he'd be thrown back out, especially considering that Derek was so jumpy. Obviously, the party had gone badly and Edwin wasn't partial to eating carpet so early in the afternoon, or any other time of day for that matter.

"Who is it?" Derek answered, sounding anxious.

"Ed."

There was a pause and then Derek asked, "What do you want?"

"Just let me in."

"Why should I?"

"Well, if you don't, then I guess that I'll just have to ask around to find out what's going on." Edwin leaned against the wall and continued, "Of course, that will make everyone else suspicious, so everyone _else_ will start asking questions, and I'm sure that _someone_ has answers."

It worked like a charm. The door flew open, Derek yanked Edwin inside, and then he closed the door again. Edwin smirked up at his brother from the floor, but then he saw Derek's expression turn angry.

"Uh oh." He jumped up to get away, but Derek was too fast for him.

_Damn hockey reflexes._

His older brother grabbed him under his arms and caught him in a headlock as he had done so many times before—one such example being when Edwin and Lizzie had taken a stand against their older siblings and Marti had replaced him as Derek's good luck charm.

"Edwin," Derek growled, "If you breathe a hint of this to a single _soul_, then you will never see the light of day again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good."

_Never mind that I could just look out the window. Man, he needs to work on his verbal intimidation._

As soon as Derek let him go, Edwin put a couple of feet between them. First, Derek turned on his music and cranked the volume up enough that no one could overhear them. Then he turned around and flopped onto his bed. Remembering why he followed his big brother, Edwin sighed and sat in Derek's computer chair.

"What's up, Big Bro?"

Derek sat up and took a deep breath. Then he opened his mouth and closed it again several times.

"I…" He cleared his throat and tried again. "I've done something really bad." Edwin nodded encouragingly, but Derek fell silent, too afraid to continue.

"I assume that this has something to do with the party last night?" Edwin prompted. Derek nodded. "And, something to do with Polly?" He nodded again. "Did you do something to her?" He got the same answer. "Okay, uh, did you insult her?" Edwin asked.  
"Uh, probably," Derek answered unhelpfully.

Sighing in exasperation, Edwin replied, "Could you at least point me in the right direction?"

"I stood her up," he blurted out.

"You did _what_?"

"I stood her up, but that's not the worst part," Derek repeated rapidly, looking more anxious every second that ticked by.

"What could be worse than _that_?" Edwin demanded. Then he cringed. "Ah, Derek, tell me you didn't blow her off for another girl," he whined, burying his face in his hands. "Great. You _finally_ find a girl to get your mind off of Casey and you—"

"Edwin."

"—just run off after the first hot blonde to cross you path!" Edwin ranted. "You know, blondes aren't the only fun girls out there, Big Bro. And that whole 'dumb blonde' thing is really a myth, so I'm sure that you could find a brunette or redhead who's dumb enough to go out with—"

"Edwin," Derek growled, losing his patience.

"—you. And, honestly, I think that the whole—"

"It was _Casey_!" Derek shouted, jumping up and grabbing his younger brother by the shoulders.

"—thing is a…" Edwin paused as the words sunk in. "A…_what_?"

Derek sunk back down onto the bed, leaning over and grabbing his hair. He took a deep breath and explained everything.

By the time he had finished, Edwin looked like a statue, except for the rapid blinking and the drool threatening to run down his chin any moment. Annoyed and cranky, Derek reached over and shoved his brother, startling Edwin enough to snap him out of shock.

"But…but…how?"

"Kendra."

"But doesn't she understand that it'll never happen?"

"I think that she's finally getting the picture," Derek answered condescendingly.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I like Casey. As far as stepsisters go, she's actually pretty cool. And I don't have anything against stepsibling relationships either. I just think that it's a bad idea."

Derek paused and cocked his head in confusion. He asked, "If it's not the step issue, then why are _you_ so against the idea?"

"Because you two would kill each other, and take the rest of us down with you."

"That's not funny, Ed."

"I'm not joking, _Bro_," Edwin replied, looking dead serious. "You're both too dramatic," Derek glared, "too selfish, and way too hot-headed to cohabitate peacefully as is. Not to mention, as far as girls go, Casey is one of the most sensitive that I've ever met and _you_, while you have your redeeming moments that keep the rest of womankind from hating you, are one of the most insensitive apes to ever grace the planet."

For a moment, Edwin paused to think. Derek was seething.

_But this is important. It's for his own good, not to mention Casey and the rest of the family's well-being as well. You have to finish._

"Considering how explosive your fights escalate to _now_, without the stress and strong emotions that a relationship would surely produce, I do believe that if the two of you fought as…umm…you know…" He blushed and cleared his throat before continuing, "It would be like dropping an A-bomb."

Cringing, Derek asked, "Jeez, Ed, don't you think that's overkill?"

"Nope," he replied nonchalantly. "And should you two ever break up," he shuddered, "it would be a nuclear holocaust."

Then Edwin hopped up and started towards the door. Pausing, he added, "So, if you ever think about telling Casey the truth, just remember two things: Casey's heart will most assuredly get broken, and what the two of you do or don't do affects the rest of us too."

After he heard the door close with a soft click, Derek sighed and flopped backwards on his bed.

_And he'd never exaggerate in a million years. _

_But, the kid does bring up some good points._

_Surely, no good could come of a relationship between Casey and I, which is why I can never tell that I'm Michael._

A bright "bring" came from his pocket and Derek reached in, pulling his cell phone out as it rang again. Glancing at the caller ID, he clicked "Reject" and put his phone back. He knew why Kendra was calling and, frankly, he just wasn't interested in what she had to say. Derek had made his decision.

**January 27, 2008**

_12:14 A.M._

Derek awoke to his computer ringing.

_Wait a second. Computers don't ring. _Phones_ ring. It's probably Kendra again._

He decided to ignore it and simply go back to sleep. Thankfully, Kendra wasn't the type of girl to call him over and over again when he wouldn't talk to her. Well, at least, not in one day. Since she had already called him four times, once interrupting his sleep, he was pretty sure that she wouldn't call him again.

_12:39 A.M._

There it was again. Derek reached over to his night stand and picked up his cell phone. Without bothering to check his call list, he simply turned off the phone and returned it to his bedside table. Then, muttering about unreasonable, meddling women, he rolled over and drifted off again.

_1:20 A.M._

Torn from his sleep for the _third_ time that night, Derek groaned loudly and shoved his head under his pillow. It occurred to him then that the noise sounded like it had come from his computer, but he was angry now and decided to ignore whatever it was out of spite.

This time, just a few minutes later, he heard the noise again and decided that it was _definitely_ coming from his computer. In fact, now that he was more alert and could sort of think straight, he realized that it sounded like someone was messaging him.

Bleary-eyed and irritated, he sighed and sat up. Then, slowly, he swung his feet over the side of his bed and stumbled to his feet.

When he reached his desk, he sat down and shook the mouse. In a flash of bright light that made him cringe and screw his eyes shut, the monitor whirred back to life and an IM window filled the screen. Derek slowly opened his eyes, turned down the brightness, and let his vision adjust before he tried to read anything.

As soon as he could focus on the words before him, his heart plunged down into his torso, hiding somewhere behind his spleen. Derek had been so sure that he had signed off of SkirtChasingCad after talking to Sam earlier, but apparently he had been wrong.

**PollyPreppyPants:** Where were you last night?

**PollyPreppyPants:** Michael?

**PollyPreppyPants:** Please say something.

**PollyPreppyPants:** Did I do something wrong?

Rubbing the back of his neck, Derek winced. He wanted so badly to tell her how wonderful she was, how she was too good for him really. But, at the same time, Derek knew that it would be easier if she could hate him. If Casey was angry with him, then she could forget about any ideas of reconciliation and move on.

_Jeez, Case. Why do you have to have such low self-esteem when it comes to guys?_

Of course, Derek knew the answer to that question. Lizzie, in one of her bouts of righteous anger, had lectured him about taunting Casey about crushes—he wasn't jealous—explaining that the virtual abandonment of their father had left its mark on her sister. Normally, Casey was a fairly confident girl, but when it came to guys, she was terribly afraid of being rejected or abandoned. After that, Derek had saved his insults for remarking on her poor taste in the guys she date—once again, not because he was jealous.

After a long debate with himself, Derek decided that he couldn't leave her hanging like that. He wanted Casey to know that there was absolutely nothing wrong with her, and even though he couldn't tell her the real reason that he was breaking things off, maybe his last reassurance would give her some closure.

_1:32 A.M._

Casey stared at her computer screen, anxiously waiting for a response. She knew that Michael was there because his screen name was no long "Idle".

_Please,_please_ answer me, Michael. Tell me why you weren't there. Tell me why you won't answer my messages. Tell me why you're breaking my heart._

Then her computer chirped, startling her, and her heart raced as she read his response.

**SkirtChasingCad:** No, you're perfect.

She couldn't believe it. He thought she was _perfect!_ But, just as she was about to ask him again why he hadn't showed, the unbelievable happened. The sound bite of a door closing jumped from her speaker as Michael abruptly signed off.

_What? No! But he finally signed on and actually _talked_ to me. _

_Maybe he got kicked off._

_1:53 A.M._

Once again, Casey had to face the facts. He wasn't coming back.

She didn't understand. Why would he sign on and call her perfect just so that he could disappear again? Was it some kind of game? Was he toying with her emotions? She refused to believe it.

Obviously, he was calling things off, and either he was trying to go out as a good guy, or he was genuinely trying to spare her feelings. She preferred to believe the latter.

Leaving herself online, just in case he came back, Casey stood up and crawled back into her bed.

_How could it all go so wrong when it started so right?_ She snorted, smiling despite the situation. _Okay, so maybe it wasn't _exactly _a fairy tale, and Kendra is no fairy godmother, but it was definitely an _interesting_ beginning. _

* * *

**A/N:** You may or may not have noticed, but I changed the dates. It suddenly occurred to me that considering that it would soon be the end of January, that it would bother me if the days of the week didn't match up with their dates. I pushed the dates two days forward. In case anyone is wondering, yes I am a bit obsessive-compulsive. Lol. Oh, and some of you may have noticed that I had Derek use the same wrestling hold that he did in "Freaked Out Friday". Or, at least, that's what it's _supposed_ to be. I re-watched that part to try to get it right and ended up re-watching the whole episode. I couldn't tear myself away. ;) 

To all who read and reviewed chapter one, you rock my world! And if you're just reading, then you're pretty cool too. Feedback rocks and constructive criticism is the best!

Attention: I dedicate this chapter to all of you other Dasey writers. I can never get a feel for writing fanfiction for a pairing until I've read work by other people, for some reason. So, without you guys, this story wouldn't exist. Thanks for the entertainment, and for feeding my addiction. ;)


	3. Once Upon a Time

**A/N:** There isn't much I hate more than a story that's hard to read and could easily be fixed a little by some formatting. So, since the general consensus seems to be that the flashbacks were confusing, I went and put the flashbacks in italics. Since they were so long, and I put the dates in bold, I thought it wasn't necessary. But, I didn't think to tell you guys to pay a lot of attention to the dates either. Sorry. Now that's fixed, read on! (And I should definitely get extra reviews for changing all that because I think that it took me about 20 minutes. lol.)

**Note:** Pay special attention to the date of the first flashback because I added something that I forgot to in the first version (in the conversation between Casey and Derek). Oh, in general, you should pay attention to the dates in this story because, while I won't skip around like crazy, there _will_ be a lot of flashbacks, though I'll try as hard as I can to make smooth yet distinct transitions.

**Chapter 03 – Once Upon A Time**

"_It's like I'm the one_

_You love to hate,_

_But not today."_

- Simple Plan, _Shut Up_

**Monday: November 19, 2007**

_12:25 P.M._

"Guess what I heard from Cindy Pomeroy after Algebra?"

"What?"

"Well,_ she_ told _me_ that Jeffrey Spade told _her_ that Karen told Andrew that a certain someone has a crush on Casey," Kendra replied smugly.

"Oh my gosh, who?" Emily demanded, bursting with curiosity.

"Uh, Casey, Hun, aren't _you_ interested to know too?" Kendra asked, looking at her friend across the table.

"Huh?" Startled, Casey looked up from her lunch. She had been lost in thought and didn't have the _least_ idea what Kendra was talking about. "Sure," she replied flatly, pasting a smile on her face that didn't fool anyone.

"Casey, what's wrong?"

"What makes you think something is wrong?"

"Well, for starters, you normally pay attention to what we're talking about and occasionally even participate in the conversation," Emily pointed out completely free of bitterness.

"And, of course, your socks don't match," Kendra added.

"What?" Looking down, Casey saw that, sure enough, one of her socks was white and the other was pink. Blushing, she couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed all morning. Honestly, she couldn't believe that she'd made the mistake in the first place. She rolled her socks up in pairs before she put them in her drawer.

_I must have mixed up the pairs._

Even though it was no big deal, the mistake really bothered Casey. It was highly unlike her to make such an error, especially with something as simple as folding and putting away laundry.

"Hello! Earth to Casey?" Emily finally got her attention when she waved her hand in front of Casey's face.

"What?"

"Hun, we're really starting to worry about you. I mean, you've been out of it for weeks, but _this_ is ridiculous. It's getting worse," Kendra said with concern.

"I'm tired. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night," Casey countered defensively.

"What about last Thursday?"

"What about it?" Casey knew _exactly_ what Kendra was referring to, but she was hoping that she would just drop it.

"I found you _crying_ in front of somebody else's locker, babbling about how you'd been trying for a whole hour, but you couldn't get it open."

"People would be calling you _Basket Case_ if it hadn't been _after_ school and everyone else was already gone."

"That one-hour study session in the library finally paid off for once," Kendra added, looking relieved.

"Basket Case?"

Casey took a deep breath and turned to face an all-too familiar smirk.

"I'll have to remember that one. Thanks, Em." He winked at her and Emily gave him a stern look. "I can use it every time you pull the drama queen act and get all emotional." Then he scratched his head, pretending to think really hard. "But what will I call you on the even days?"

Ralph, who had come over to see what was going on—or to sneak a peek at Kendra, who he had a crush on—laughed alongside Derek until Casey gave him the evil eye. He stopped immediately, clearing his throat, and slowly backed away a few feet before running away to sit with Sam and Sheldon.

Derek shook his head and said, "Man, I don't know what you did to him, Case, but he sure is afraid of you." Mockingly he asked, "Did you show him what you _really_ look like first thing in the morning?"

"No, I did something much, _much_ worse," Casey replied with a sly smile. "I stuffed your practice jersey in his locker during the playoffs and told him that if he didn't stop hitting on me that he'd find your lucky boxers in there too."

"What's so gross about the jersey?" Emily asked naively.

"He doesn't wash it from two weeks before they start to the last game, however long that might be," Casey answered. All of the girls cringed and Derek, who was recovering from the shock of his stepsister's actions, finally closed his jaw and clenched it.

"You_ stole_ my _jersey_?" He asked incredulously. "You said it was in the laundry!"

"Guess I'm a better liar than you thought."

Derek was not amused and said, "I panicked for _three days straight_ because I couldn't find it! And all along, _you_, my own stepsister, were using it to _blackmail Ralph_?"

"And finally he arrives at the conclusion that the rest of the group reached five minutes ago. What's the matter Derek? Was there turbulence? Did you have to make an emergency landing somewhere else?" Casey taunted him.

"I_ will_ get you back for this, McDonald. Just you wait," Derek threatened, curling his fists at his side.

"Right, well, how about _I_ wait over here and _you_," she pointed over to the table that he usually sat at, "wait over there," she suggested. Then Casey wiggled her fingers at him mockingly as he stalked off.

"Man, you guys are fighting worse than ever," Kendra commented as Casey turned back around to face them.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Emily asked, finishing off her sandwich.

"It's all Derek's fault. He's been really hostile lately," Casey answered, taking a sip of her Coke Zero. "I mean, we got a lot closer last year and even though we never stopped bickering, we didn't really fight a whole lot. It was all kind of…playful, in a way. But now he's reverted to acting like the Ape Man he was when we first met most of the time. I don't know what did it, but I really wish that something would _un_do it."

_12:32 P.M._

"Man, what's going on with Derek lately?" Sheldon asked, biting into his peanut butter and banana sandwich. "I mean, it seemed like him and Casey got along a lot better _last_ year, even _before_ the accident. Now it seems like he's always picking fights with her."

"I don't know, man, but I think he's crazy for making her angry," Ralph commented as he messily bit into his Sloppy Joe. "She scares me more than Mrs. Schlepper."

"Dude,_no one_ is scarier than Mrs. Schlepper," Sam countered with a chuckle. Ralph laughed as Sheldon cringed.

"Yeah, yeah, it's easy for_ you_ guys to joke about. You're not the ones who have to go home today and tell her that you got a 'C' on yesterday's math quiz."

"Oh, man, you're dead."

"_Worse_. I'm totally grounded."

Derek dropped down onto the bench beside Sam and ripped a giant bite off of his own Sloppy Joe. Part of the meat dribbled down his chin, but he didn't even notice as he stared at the wall behind Ralph and Sheldon's heads. Sam raised his eyebrows, mouthing, "Whoa." It was obvious that whatever had gone down at Casey's table had really ticked him off.

The four guys sat in an awkward, tense-filled silence for about three or four minutes before Derek turned his gaze to Ralph, his face devoid of emotion.

"So, Ralph, I got a question for you," Derek began nonchalantly. His tone sounded perfectly innocent, but anyone who knew Derek well could tell that if they were in a cartoon, steam would be rolling out of his ears.

Poor Ralph, who knew that he was likely to be the subject of Derek's wrath, froze like a deer in headlights as little men in his head ran around screaming, "Code Red! This is _not_ a drill, ladies and gentlemen! We have a _Code Red_!"

"Do you remember anything special happening around the playoffs a few months ago?"

Ralph thought really hard for a moment, but he couldn't remember anything special happening during the hockey playoffs. Well, you know, except for Derek's team winning, but he was pretty sure that Derek was talking about something _he'd_ done.

"Not really."

"Really? _Nothing_ comes to mind?" Derek asked, leaning back and folding his arms. Sheldon and Sam looked back and forth between the two, wondering themselves what he was referencing.

After a moment of silence, where Ralph was thinking _very_ hard, Derek finally said, "Maybe something involving…a _jersey_?"

Everyone could see the light bulb click on in Ralph's head, but it was too late. Derek jumped up and slammed his palms down on the table.

"That whole time that I was running around, frantically calling everybody I'd seen in the last two weeks, including lots of girls who really_ didn't_ want to hear from me—or, worse, they _did_—and you didn't _think_ to tell me that my lucky practice jersey was with _you_!" He hissed, careful not to let his voice carry over to the other students. "Tell me, Ralph, just how long did you have it? Half a day? A whole day? _Three_ days?"

Ralph nervously tugged at the collar of his tee shirt.

"D, Man, I wanted to tell you, but she threatened me!" He cried in defense. "She said that if I told _anyone_ that she'd lie and say that _I_ took it! And considering how freaked out you were, and how unpredictable you are when you're freaking out, I knew that there was a least a 50/50 chance that you'd believe her!"

Derek took a deep breath and slowly let it out, clenching his fists. Then a confused look crossed his face.

"Wait a second. You were more afraid of pissing off Casey than of pissing off _me_?" He asked incredulously.

"No!" Ralph answered quickly. "I just figured that I had a better shot of you not finding out anything."

After a moment, Derek cocked his head, accepting his reply. Then he sat down and shoved down the rest of his food as the others looked between them, trying to decide if it was really over.

Standing up, Derek let out a loud belch and said, "Well, I got to go see Maria about going out on Friday night. See ya." Sheldon, Sam, and Ralph said goodbye to him and continued eating.

Once Derek was out of ear shot, Sam said, "Okay, level with us, you're really more scared of Casey, aren't you?"

Ralph nodded vigorously, eyebrows raised as he shuddered at the thought of making her angry. Sheldon and Sam laughed, but Ralph knew that they had both seen the wrath of Casey before, and they themselves had been_ very_ afraid.

_3:05 P.M._

Casey and Kendra had barely stepped inside the door and put up their things when Kendra brought it up again.

"_Now_ can we talk about it?" Kendra asked, her tone verging on whiny.

"_No_, not yet. There are people here too, you know."

"Well, it sure doesn't sound like it," Kendra replied. "Hello? McDonalds and Venturis?" There was no answer. "Now isn't that convenient? Looks like we're the only ones here." Without any invitation, which she hardly needed since she had become one of Casey's best friends over the summer, she gracefully sat down on the couch and waited for Casey to join her.

"Well?" Kendra prompted.

Sighing, Casey said, "I just don't like Taylor. He's cute and sweet and funny, but I'm just not interested."

"Oh, come on, Casey! I _know_ that there's more to it than _that_." Then she thought of something. "Is this about Max? Are you still not over him?"

_I only _wish_ that were the case,_ Casey thought. _I want to tell her what's going on, but what if she's grossed out? What if she thinks it's incest and she screams and runs out of here to tell everyone else?_

_Now, wait a second. How could you think that Kendra would do such an awful thing? That's not the kind of person that she is. Just tell her the truth and give her a chance to prove you wrong._

Casey took a deep breath, preparing herself to tell her deepest darkest secret.

"Or is it because you're still hung up on Derek?"

It felt something like being shoved off of a tall building and finding yourself suddenly free-falling.

"W-_what_?" she stuttered, concentrating on keeping her jaw from hanging open like a moron.

"Or is it because…"

"I heard you the first time!" Casey snapped anxiously. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have snapped. I'm just…you threw me," she babbled, jumping up to pace back and forth in front of the couch. "I mean, it's not just the fact that you _know_, but it's the way you asked, like you were talking about the weather or something and not some huge, colossus, life-changing _thing_!"

Kendra cringed and pressed herself back into the couch. Casey was getting hysterical. Her voice was getting higher; her words were coming out faster. She was about two steps away from crying.

"And," her face crumpled, "what am I going to do when they figure it out?" She finally stopped pacing as tears rained down her cheeks, trickling down her chin and neck, leaving her skin itchy.

"Oh, sweetie," Kendra cooed, standing up and pulling her into a hug. "Everything will be okay. It's really not as big of a deal as you're making it out to be," she assured her.

Casey snorted. She was far from convinced.

"Look, I know that it's highly unconventional, but there's nothing legally wrong with it and only uptight, close-minded people think that there's something morally wrong with it."

In a burst of maternal protectiveness, Kendra guided her friend to sit down and she went and got her a glass of water. Then, sitting beside her, she rubbed Casey's back in a soothing pattern.

"But what about my family?" Casey asked between sniffles.

"I'd bet a million dollars that at worst, they'd be kind of weirded out by it, but would accept it eventually."

After a moment of contemplative silence, Casey composed herself and wiped her face with a Kleenex.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway because we're talking about this like Derek's actually interested in me when he's not," Casey said, looking down into her lap and smoothing out her skirt.

"Oh _really_?" Kendra replied doubtfully. "Because the evidence suggests otherwise."

Laughing bitterly, Casey asked, "Like what?"

"Like the way he looks at you."

"Like I'm a disgusting she-beast with three heads that just crawled out of the mud?"

"Like you're the only girl in the room."

Casey blushed at the thought. She would have liked nothing more than for Derek to look at her that way, but she was sure that Matchmaker Kendra was just imagining that something was there that didn't exist.

"Look, Kendra, it's not that I don't think that I'm good enough for him or anything, but I'm not Derek's type."

"Honey, you don't _have _to have blonde hair for Derek to be interested in you." They laughed. Apparently Casey wasn't the only one who had noticed a distinct sway in Derek's preferences lately.

"That's not what I mean," Casey said with a giggle.

"Well, then what _do_ you mean?" Kendra asked. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. Derek doesn't have a type. Or, well, I guess he does. Derek's type is _girl __he finds attractive_. But, other than that, he's dated all across the boards: smart girls, athletic girls, cheerleaders, musicians, girls who like to read—"

"Girls who _wish_ they could read."

"Oh, don't be catty," Kendra scolded, prompting an eye roll from Casey. "Seriously, guys find that _way_ unattractive. What really intrigues them is a woman who can compliment other women, especially someone she might consider a rival."

"Only because they're hoping she's secretly bisexual."

Sighing, Kendra muttered, "You're so impossible when you're like this." Then she sat up confidently and, after flipping her hair over her shoulder, she said, "The point here is that you should go for it."

"So that he can laugh in my face and hold it over my head for the rest of our lives? No thank you," Casey replied glumly, pulling her knees up to her chest so that she could rest her chin on them.

"Okay, first of all, Derek isn't _that_ mean. And, second of all, if you're too much of a coward to make a move, then you need to get over him and move on with your life."

Casey stared at Kendra and sighed. She wanted to bite back that Kendra wasn't the one who was secretly attracted to her stepbrother, but she knew that she was right. It was either that, or she'd be pining after him her whole life, and how pathetic would _that_ be?

"So, are there any other guys that are currently interested in me? Maybe someone who can keep up intellectually?" Casey asked half-heartedly.

"You're giving up that easily?" Casey nodded. "Really? I thought you liked him."

"It would never work," she answered, shaking her head and refusing to comment about her feelings again.

Sighing, Kendra said, "Okay, just don't go rushing into anything. We don't need another Max, right?"

Casey laughed and replied, "Kendra, that's horrible! Max isn't a bad guy; he's just not for me."

"Yeah, well," she waved it off and continued, "The guy knew absolutely _nothing_ about chivalry. In my book, that's bad."

"What about _your_ boyfriend?" Casey demanded. "When was the last time Keith opened up a door for you?"

Kendra thought about it for a moment and then said, "You know something? I don't know." Then, with a shrug she decided, "Well, _he's_ got to go." Then, with a smile, she added, "Besides, I've had my eye on Seth Summers since last Tuesday. Did you know that he has a motorcycle? I sure didn't." Whipping out her phone, Kendra asked, "Do you mind if I call Keith real quick and break things off?"

Casey shook her head and replied, "Go ahead."

It still amazed her how quickly Kendra went through guys. When it came to dating and commitment, she was all too much like Derek.

_There's just another reason for me to get over Derek. He'd probably move on to the next girl before I could call him my boyfriend. _

Looking at her friend, she remembered how a lot of people at school had speculated that Kendra and Derek were a perfect match. They were charming, gorgeous, confident, outgoing, and both had the old wandering eye. This was exactly why Casey had known that the relationship was doomed from the start. Sticking two people together with the exact same relationship problems was very rarely a good idea. Usually it just meant that things fell apart twice as fast.

_But not half as fast as any relationship between Derek and I would surely unravel. _

_5:25 P.M._

"Edwin, sandwich, _now_," Derek ordered as he shut the door hard behind him and dumped his hockey gear on the floor. The younger brother was still pretty spineless, especially when it came to Derek, so he sighed and marched into the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Derek walked over and flopped into his recliner with a sigh of content.

_I've got my recliner, the remote control, and my little brother is making me a sandwich. Life is good._

It had been a long day for Derek. Hell, it had been a long _year_ for Derek. Ever since he first realized that he liked his stepsister in a not-so-brotherly way, his life had gotten much more complicated.

**March 31, 2006  
**

2:49 A.M.

_"Oh my God!" Casey slid as she flew down the hallway in her bunny slippers. Tears filled her eyes as she stumbled and her foot caught the corner of the banister as she all but threw herself down the stairs. "Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my_ God,_" she whispered fervently like a chant._

_"Mom, George, Lizzie, and Edwin, wake up!" Casey shrieked as she ran to the closet to grab her coat, hat, and scarf. She heard doors opening and footsteps coming from all directions as she quickly dressed in her winter gear._

_"Casey!" Nora appeared, wrapping her robe around herself, with George right on her heels, looking bleary-eyed and confused. "Casey, what's going on?"_

_"Why are you yelling?" Lizzie demanded as she tugged a half-asleep Edwin behind her._

_"Casey, why are you crying? What's wrong?" Nora asked, pulling her daughter into a hug._

_"I, I, Derek just called!" Casey said between sobs._

_"What?" George looked around, just now noticing that his eldest child was unaccounted for. "Where_ is_ he, and what the heck is he doing out in the middle of the night?"_

_"He, he was coming back from a party with Ralph," Casey answered, crying hysterically. "And he was begging me to, to unlock the door because he forgot his key." She took a deep shuddering breath and continued, "And I chewed him out. I was lecturing him for being so irresponsible as to be out like this in the first place, and telling him that I just might leave him outside all night because it would serve him right." Then the crying escalated and she couldn't go on._

_Fighting the urge to shake Casey and demand to know that she and Derek were both all right, Nora continued to soothe her daughter and gently prodded her to continue. "Casey, sweetheart, then what happened?"_

_Once she had calmed herself enough to answer, she said, "Then he called me a bad stepsister and threatened to humiliate me at school in some horrifying new way and I said that he'd do it anyway."_

_Tense though they were, the entire family laughed except for Casey, who sort of grimaced._

_"But," her face crumpled again, "but then he said, 'Fine! But the next time you bring a date over…'." Casey stopped and the only sound was her noisy crying that was slightly muffled by having her face pressed into Nora's shoulder._

_"And…?" George prompted._

_"And there was a loud crash, and people were screaming, and brakes were squealing, and then the line went dead!"_

_"Oh my God," Nora whispered. "Did you call 911? Do you know where they were?" Casey shook her head miserably and her mother grabbed her by the shoulders. "When did this happen? Just before you came down?" She nodded._

_"We, we have to find him," George decided, running a hand through his hair before pacing a few steps. "Okay, Nora,_ you_ take the minivan, and I'll take The Prince, and we'll drive around to see if we can find him."_

_"I'll go next door and go with the Davises," Casey volunteered. George was about to protest, but he saw the determined look on her face and knew that he couldn't stop her._

_"All right, but call first." Casey nodded and punched their phone number into the cell phone that she had hastily shoved into the pocket of her blue pajama pants._

_"What about us?" Edwin asked anxiously—finally able to say something._

_As Nora left to start the search and Casey ran out the door, garbling the whole story to Emily through sniffles and the occasional sob, George paused to think._

_"Um, okay, Edwin, __you start calling everyone and ask them to look around. Maybe someone will spot him on their street." He nodded and raced into the kitchen to grab the phone. "Make sure you call Sam, the Bagmans, and the Schleppers first!"_

_"On it!"_

_"What about me, George?" Lizzie asked, gripping the stair railing so hard that her knuckles were turning white._

_"Can you stay here and look after Marti?"_

_"Sure." With everything taken care of, George broke out into a run, grabbing his coat from the closet before he headed back towards the back door. "Wait!" Lizzie called frantically. He stopped and turned to her as he shrugged into the sleeves. "What do I tell Marti if she wakes up?"_

_George froze and swallowed hard. "Well, um," he furrowed his brow in deep thought, "Tell her that everything is fine, until we know more. There's no need to worry her when Derek could be fine."_

_"Okay. Good luck," Lizzie shouted as her stepfather disappeared with the jingle of keys and the slam of the back door._

Oh, Derek, please be okay. You have no idea how much you mean to us all, _Lizzie thought anxiously._

3:17 A.M.

_"Oh my God. What happened? How bad is it?" There was a pause. "Why won't you guys answer me, damn it?" Casey cursed. All three adults raised their eyebrows, and then Nora shot the doctor an apologetic look. The fiery brunette merely glared at Dr. Jan and pointed at him in an accusatory manner. "Hey! Look at me! I'm his stepsister,_ okay?_For all legal intents and purposes, that makes us family, which means that I get to know what's wrong with Derek!" she ranted shrilly._

_"Casey, please, we're all scared and frustrated, but it's not Dr. Jan's fault."_

_"And if you'd refrain from yelling, then I could tell you what happened to Mr. Venturi." Casey instantly shut up, hanging on his every word. Nora wrung her hands and George tapped his foot, trying very hard to keep himself from pacing back and forth across the room. "Your son was in a car wreck, Mr. Venturi."_

Yeah, yeah. We know that already. Why are you dragging it out? Are you _trying_ to torture me? Because as soon as Derek hears that he's been trumped, there will be hell to pay,_Casey thought angrily._

_"Mr. Bagman was driving rather cautiously, though he_ was_ speeding by about 10 mph, when a drunk driver in the opposite lane suddenly swerved into their lane. Mr. Bagman swerved to avoid the other car and they rolled into the ditch."_

_"Oh my God," Casey whispered in a strangled voice._

_"Are they okay?" Nora asked—stepping forward as George grabbed her hand for support. George was speechless as his mind reeled with questions, accusations, and curses directed at the driver who might have killed two teenage boys._

_But, then, George asked, "Was there," his voice cracked and he cleared his voice before repeating, "Was there anyone else involved?" He couldn't believe that he had asked_ that,_considering everything that he could have asked, like 'Are they okay?', 'Are they alive?', 'What about the bastard who nearly killed my kid?', and 'While we're on the subject, how about you give me the bastard's name and room number so that I can finish the job myself?'_

_"No. The woman who was driving the other car was alone and no one else was riding with your son and his friend," he answered._

_"We're here!" Edwin shouted as he ran towards them at full speed with Lizzie at his side. They huffed and puffed, bending over as they sucked in air and Nora looked at them warily. She wasn't sure that she wanted any of her children to hear what was coming next, whatever that might be._

_"I'm sorry to say this, folks, but I can only take a couple of people with me to go see Derek," Dr. Jan announced, sliding his glasses up his nose._

_"What? But can't you just—" Casey interrupted furiously._

_"Casey, why don't you take Edwin and Lizzie to sit with the Davises?" Nora suggested gently. Casey's jaw dropped in shock._

_"What? No! I want to see Derek!" She protested. "Please, Mom, I have to see if he's okay," she begged, grabbing her mother's arm._

_"Please, Casey, we'll let you know as soon as we have all the facts."_

_"But—"_

_"Follow me, Mr. and Mrs. Venturi," the doctor instructed. Giving her daughter an apologetic look, Nora took her husband's arm._

_"Come on, Georgie."_

3:59 A.M.

_As soon as Nora entered the waiting area, Casey darted to her side and grabbed her shoulders._

_"What's going on? How is he? Is he okay?"_

_"Derek's going to be all right," she assured her. "In fact, if you promise to be calm, then you can go see him now, even though it's past visiting hours. He's in room 209." Before she could get out another word, Casey was running in the direction that she had come from. "Wait? Don't you want to know how he is?" she shouted after her. Casey ignored her mother, deciding that she would find out from George so that she could get a look at Derek herself._

_Casey rushed past other people, careful not to bump into any doctors or nurses, as she kept herself from breaking into a run._

201. It'll be okay, no matter how bad it is. 203. Oh God. What if it's serious? What if he had to have surgery? 206. But wouldn't it have taken longer? 208. She'd have said something if it was that bad, wouldn't she?

_Halting in front of a door, her heartbeat raced furiously like a war drum banging in her ears. She felt light and heady as she saw him lying prostrate on the hospital bed. His face was wrapped completely in bandages and there were all kinds of wires and tubes sticking out of his body._

_Sinking into a chair, she cried, "Oh, Derek, what have they done to you?" She started crying again as she wondered if his face, that_ perfect, g_orgeous face, had been ruined. "If only, if only I'd stopped you from going to that party. I'm so sorry! I should've," she hiccupped, "I should have told Mom and George if that was what it took! I knew that it was dangerous and I_ knew_ that you would go anyway and…"_

_She sniffled pathetically. "Do you need blood? What about a kidney? You can have one of mine, even though I'll have to pee every thirty minutes for the rest of my life, just_ please_ don't die!"_

_Casey's chest heaved with sobs and she managed to force out, "I can't believe that the last thing that I said to you was mean and petty, when I should have told you how much I love you!"_

_Suddenly, applause filled the room and a puzzled look came across her face. Discerning that it was coming from the other side of the white curtain, Casey peeked around it and gasped._

_"Der-_ek_!"_

_There he was—sitting up in the bed by the window, mocking her and shaking with silent laughter that soon burst forth in full out guffaws. Casey's eyes scanned his torso up, which was the only part visible, and saw that his arm was in a sling and there were stitches running across part of his left eyebrow and in a long jagged line above it._

Of course. Even when he cuts up his face, it's in a way that will leave a sexy-looking scar.

_Then, she jerked, blinking furiously._

Wait a second. Derek…sexy?_ She shuddered and thought,_ Now _that_ is crazy talk. Focus on the burning humiliation and outrage you feel towards Derek for letting you think that he was in critical condition. Er. Scratch that first part. Just focus on being furious with the jerk.

_"What the_ hell,_ Derek?" she whispered furiously, mindful of the other patient as she smacked Derek's good arm. _

_"April Fools!" He gasped through between laughs. _

_"April Fools? April _Fools? First_ of all, you're a day early and, _second_ of all, I can't _believe_ that you let me _think_ that you were…" Derek started wheezing and coughing and her brow furrowed in concern. "Derek? Derek, are you okay?" She reached out and grasped his shoulder, trying to get a look at his face. "What's wrong? Do you need some water?" He nodded and she looked around for a pitcher._

_After Casey poured him a glass, she rubbed Derek's back and raised the glass to his lips to help him drink it. Once he downed half of the cup, he nudged it away and she put it back on the nightstand. Then she awkwardly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear._

_Derek turned to look at her and she met his gaze. They stared at each other in silence, trying to ignore a persistent, tugging feeling that was new to both of them and urging them to do_ something,_though they couldn't figure out what._

I can't believe that you would give me one of your kidneys. I mean, I knew that you didn't hate me, but I never realized how much you cared. Kind of makes me feel bad for being such an ass.

God, I can't believe I said all that. I'm never going to live it down. I actually said that I_ loved_him! I mean, I figure that he_ knew_that I did, and I know that he cares about me just as much, but we've never _said_it. He's never even let me_ hug_him for heaven's sake—and we're a lot closer than we used to be.

_The sound of a toilet flushing broke their trains of thought and they both looked up in time to see George exiting the bathroom._

_Flushing with embarrassment, he folded the paper behind his back and cleared his throat._

_"So, Casey, I guess you've been de-briefed?"_

_"Actually, no, I haven't."_

_"Well," George sat down in the chair by Derek's bed and continued, "He's broken his collar bone and cracked a few ribs…"_

That explains the trouble breathing when he was laughing so hard.

_"Then he's got that nasty cut on his forehead," he pointed at it, "and he has a mild concussion."_

_Casey's heart leaped into her throat._

_"A concussion?"_

_"It's just a mild one. The doctor prescribed him some pain medication for when we get home and we have to watch him for any strange behavior that could indicate further trauma, but he should be fine."_

_Her heart swelled with love and sympathy for her stepbrother, but as she saw the self-pitying look fall over his face, she realized that the last thing that he needed was for her to coddle him right now._

_"So, to clarify, you mean that we have to watch for signs that there's been any_ new_brain damage?"_

_Derek slightly shocked, swiveled his head up to stare at her with an open jaw._

_What the hell? Since when does _Casey_ kick people when they're already down?_

_She raised an eyebrow, challenging him, and his face spread into a mischievous grin as a wave of gratitude rushed through him._

_"Well, you'd better call those doctors, George. I think poor _Derry_ has already gone brain dead." She paused and tapped her finger on her cheek. "Or is it that he never had a brain to begin with?"_

Since it's just what the doctor ordered, _Derek thought._

_As the rest of the kids rushed in to greet him, he smirked and replied, "Speaking of brain damage, do you think_ that_ could be the reason that you're _such a freak_?"_

**Monday: November 19, 2007**

_5:31 P.M._

Ever since Derek had overheard Casey's bedside confessions, he'd seen her in a different light. How could he not? It wasn't every day that you overheard your daily verbal sparring partner offer you one of her kidneys, and while he knew that Casey had a tendency to overreact to things, he had the strangest feeling that she would have actually done it. Or, at least, that she would have tried to.

It wasn't long before strange thoughts began to occur to him. Whenever Ralph commented about Casey's sex appeal, Derek suddenly found himself silently agreeing with him, and simultaneously wanting to punch his friend in the head. Sure, he still _pretended_ that the thought of Casey as anything but his lame stepsister made him retch, but as early as two nights after the accident, he'd started having dreams about her coming on to him. Then he started dreaming about coming on to her. After that, he'd started dreaming about her more and more often until he hardly ever dreamed of anything else.

Even his nightmares surrounded her. He dreamed of coming onto her and, instead of being welcomed into her arms, she recoiled in disgust. Other times, his bad dreams were of her with other guys that she openly flaunted in his face. His poor best friend had been so confused when Derek kept glaring at him all day long after an especially vivid nightmare of Sam and Casey getting back together. And though neither had ever talked about it, and they told the coach that it was an accident, they both knew that Derek had intentionally caused Sam to trip and face plant at practice that afternoon.

Naturally—a few weeks after the dreams had begun—he started thinking about her during the day too. Occasionally, he even had flashes of his dreams when they were in the same room together and his cheeks flushed as his throat tightened, and he had to excuse himself.

Worse, a couple of months later, he found himself not just wanting to kiss her or touch her—which was bad enough, in his opinion—but he felt compelled to compliment her and…be _nice_ to her. For a while, he had tried to ignore these notions, but he kept slipping up anyway. He and Casey got closer.

Eventually, Derek had started thinking about them actually dating. They started spending time together, even in public. They sometimes ate lunch together at school. Derek coaxed Casey into coming to parties with him. She helped him get his grades up. They watched movies together and played card games.

Of course, they were both so fiercely competitive that when either one was stressed, heaven forbid that they should lose, because the winner was bound to get shut out for the rest of the day.

Then Max broke up with Casey and Derek found himself doing anything and everything to make her feel better. He took her out to movies and out to eat. Sometimes he even paid for her and he wondered how things would be different if they were dating. He imagined sitting next to her and putting his arm around her, intentionally grossing her out with his eating only to apologize afterward and, still chuckling, kiss her cheek. He wondered if she'd kiss him on the first date.

He fantasized so much about going out with Casey that he accidentally started putting his arm around her. She'd give him a weird look and he found a way to play it off, like pulling her into a headlock and noogeying her, but it still made his stomach drop every time he realized what he'd done.

Still, he wasn't _too_ worried until his slip-ups went one step farther.

**July 2, 2007**

3:04 A.M.

_Derek knew that he shouldn't have his arm around her shoulders. Sure, he was doing it in that mocking, pretending-I-care-about-you way, but he'd been doing it way too much lately for him to indulge himself now._

_Still, the parking lot was basically empty by now and they had sneaked out to see the midnight showing of Transformers. Derek had been dying to see it and since he knew that he'd never get away with bringing a pre-teen to such a late movie without adult supervision, he had begged and annoyed Casey for sixteen days straight until she agreed to come with him. Well, sort of._

_"All right, since we've already seen your movie, be honest. You cheated, didn't you?" Casey asked, sounding only slight accusatory._

_"What?" Derek faked disgust. "I can't believe that you would say such a thing!" He took his arm from her and playfully shoved her away from him. "I just, I can't look at you right now," he said huffily._

_"Der__-_ek_." She bumped him in the shoulder, laughing. "Come on. I_ know_ you cheated. You hid royal spades from another_ identical _deck somewhere on your person, didn't you?"_

_Grinning, he put his arm back around her and chided, "Casey, Casey, Casey, I didn't _have_ to cheat." He sighed dramatically. "When are you going to realize that I—"_

_"—always win," she finished for him, snorting and rolling her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard that one before, and I didn't buy it _then_ either."_

_"Well, believe it or not, it's still the truth," Derek replied smugly._

_"Or some warped version of."_

_"Oh yeah? Well…" Derek trailed off and frowned._

_"Lost your steam?" She asked with a laugh. He nodded, grinning as he sneaked a glance at her face. Derek loved seeing Casey laugh. He thought the way she crinkled her nose was just about the cutest thing in the world._

_"Man, Derek, could you have parked any farther away?" Casey whined, noticing that their car was in the very back of the lot._

_"I could've parked at the ice cream shop across the street," he pointed out, taking his arm off of her shoulders. "And at least you only had to walk this far_ after_ the movie. I made the trek be_fore_ the movie too."_

_Smiling, she said, "That was really sweet of you, by the way."_

_Derek snorted and replied, "Don't go getting the wrong idea, McDonald. I just wanted you to save us seats."_

_"Mmhmm."_

_"But if you want to pay me back, you could always do my Biology project."_

_"Ha! In your lonely, pathetic dreams, Venturi."_

_"As if I'd waste my time dreaming about_ you_."_

More like, 'As if I'd waste my time dreaming about you doing anything but_ me__', he thought._

_"There probably wouldn't be any room with all of your blow-up dolls," Casey quipped._

_"Well, if you're getting lonely," he threw his arm around her, "I could always loan you one," Derek shot back, making her gag._

_"Ugh, that is be_yond_ gross, Derek." He laughed as she shuddered and, without realizing what he was doing, leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. Inches away from her skin, he stopped and panic flooded his mind._

Oh crap. I was just about to _kiss_ her!

_Casey gave him a confused look and his brain scrambled for an excuse._

I was blowing away an eyelash? Blow in her face to annoy her? Tell her that her pores look bigger?

_Then an idea hit him. He tightened his hold on her and belched in her face._

Oh my_ God_, I can't believe that I just did that.

_"Oh my _God_, Derek! I can't believe that you just_ did_ that_!_" Casey yelled shrilly, pushing him away._

_Derek couldn't remember how many times he had pulled that kind of a stunt, even at weddings and funerals, yet he had never felt so mortified about it._

**Monday: November 19, 2007**

_5:38 P.M._

That was the moment that Derek had realized that he was too comfortable around Casey. So, in an effort to distance himself from her, he stopped putting his arm around her. For the most part, he tried not to touch her. Of course, that didn't stop _her_ from touching _him._

The second time he almost kissed her, he really got scared. Once again, he played it off and told her that her pores were huge, but he knew that he was too far gone. He had to find a way to pull back before she caught on to what was really going on or he accidentally _did_ kiss her.

So Derek started hanging out with her less and less. He went back to filling his Friday nights with parties and girls who didn't mean anything to him, but he _still_ couldn't shake the urge to kiss her. That was when he started picking fights with her. He insulted her every chance he got. Every time he wanted to act like a boyfriend, he acted like an asshole.

Soon, things between Casey and Derek were back to the way they were when she first arrived on the Venturi's doorstep. They were almost constantly at each other's throats. The biggest difference was that Derek never let her touch him. He knew that if they tried wrestling over the remote, he'd lose what little grip he had on his self-control.

Annoying Casey and making her angry used to be his favorite pastime. Now, it was hardly ever satisfying and there was a hell of a lot more work involved. To be frank, it was exhausting trying to be the bane of her existence all of the time. But he had successfully driven a big, fat wedge between them, and that all made it worth the while. Or, at least, that was what he kept telling himself.

"Derek?"

Startled by the disturbance, Derek jerked in his seat and cleared his throat.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," he snapped at Edwin, grabbing the sandwich and soda from him.

_One of these days, I'm going to put a bell around his neck,_ Derek thought.

"I didn't sneak. You're just jumpy," Ed replied, plopping down onto the couch. "What's up?"

"Nothing."

Edwin cringed as he watched a lettuce leaf soaked in mayonnaise fall onto his older brother's shirt.

_One of these days, some girl is going to sit him down and tell him that if he doesn't learn some proper table manners—or just how to eat without being disgusting—that she's going to make him wear a bib_, Edwin thought with a snicker. _Or maybe she'll just serve him dinner from a trough until he takes a hint._

Derek quirked an eyebrow, but rolled his eyes and ignored his younger sibling.

"Is it about the girl?" Edwin asked.

"Shh!" Derek glared at him threateningly and, pointing, said, "You do _not_ talk about her outside of closed doors or…somewhere else where we can't be eavesdropped on."

"All right, I won't." Edwin threw his hands up in surrender.

"Besides, I already told you that nothing is wrong."

"Uh huh. So, when did you decided to start watching The Wiggles?"

"Huh?" Derek looked up and saw that he'd never changed the channel. The creepy British children's show made him shudder and he quickly switched it over to a hockey game. He chanced a look at Edwin and saw him smirking at him in an all-too familiar way. "Not a word, E-Vent," he warned, grinning as he saw his brother's face fall and he cringed.

"You're_ never_ going to let that die, _are_ you?"

"Sure, I will." He took another bite and this time waited until he swallowed before he added, "Right along with 'Klutzilla'."

* * *

**Special Thanks to:** moirariordan, True Love Lives Forever, Brianna, jcool789, ambercrystal from LJ, elvenfrolover05 (also from LJ), and anyone else's comments I missed for answering my question! I asked if Ralph had ever been given a last name, but it seems that, if he has, it's never been revealed. 

**A/N:** Okay, so I'm actually really nervous about this chapter, especially the two flashbacks. Please try to give me feedback specifically on those parts. Those were late night/early morning inspiration and they came out so fast and...yeah...I'm nervous. lol. Yikes. Now my brain is going over other parts I'm nervous about and I'm not sure that I should post, but I think this is just one of those kinds of chapters, you know? It's times like this that I wish I had a Beta. I actually thought of asking before. Well, better late than never (read below for more). Anyway, I guess I better post this now. Thank you, my wonderful readers, especially those who review. ;)

**Attention:** If anyone would like to beta this story, please Beta-read this chapter and send your comments/suggestions to Mind you, I want someone who can give me feedback/suggestions on content as well as grammar. And I need someone who's feelings won't be hurt if I go against his/her advice.


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